Why Internet Security Is a Must for Online Small Business

Based on a survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance in the US, it has been reported that every year at least 1 out of 5 small businesses get affected by cyber threats. The worst part is that almost 60% of online small businesses, which were affected by such cyber-security incidents, have gone out of business. Even big multinational companies like Equifax, Target, Yahoo! etc. were victims of serious data breaches recently, which clearly indicates the importance of Internet security for any online small business. Here are some valid reasons you should consider installing a security solution for your network:

Weak Security Infrastructure and Lack of Resources

Based on the Internet Security Threat Report 2016, which is published by Symantec, around 43% of spear-phishing attacks are made on small businesses. Hackers are designing customized malware which aims to steal sensitive data from small and medium businesses which have weak security infrastructure. This is mainly due to the fact that small businesses lack the required IT expertise and experienced staff, robust security tools and the necessary resources to fight against the sophisticated attacks of hackers.

Many small businesses lack a cybersecurity policy which lays down the best security practices to be followed by their employees. This is essential to safeguard the privacy of your customer data and to protect your business-critical data from unauthorized access by hackers. You should consider protecting your workstations by using security solutions like a firewall and an antivirus. Mobile security is also vital and you should protect any Android and iPhone devices used for businessby installing security software like mobile antivirus and VPN tools.

Cybersecurity Threats are increasing at a faster rate

Based on a data breach report by Verizon, 60% of cyber threats are targeted towards small and medium businesses. Small businesses have the data which are needed by hackers and also lack enough protection. According to the research findings by the security company Trend Micro, it is estimated that 3.5 new cybersecurity incidents are happening every second and the hackers mainly target small business companies which lack the necessary infrastructure and sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Online small businesses are an easy target for hackers since they will not have the expertise and experienced IT staff to tackle such cyberattacks.

Small businesses should learn to protect their workstations including Windows laptops and MacBook from online threats by installing reliable antivirus software. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is the most trusted and affordable security solution for small businesses to protect their workstations from dangerous malware such as viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware etc. It also offers complete email protection and safeguards you from phishing attacks.

Many small business owners tend to believe that only larger enterprises will be targeted by hackers and that they are safe. Small businesses which fail to strengthen their Internet security are bound to attacks by hackers who try to steal sensitive business data. Even big companies are vulnerable to data breaches and one example is that of Target which got attacked by hackers who stole credit card and debit card information of more than 40 million customers which cost the company around $105 million.

Small Businesses are migrating to Cloud which requires Online Security

Many Small businesses have already moved to cloud-based solutions and as of 2017 more than 70% of small and mediums businesses were planning to move their entire operations to cloud-based software. According to various surveys, the spending on cloud services by businesses across the globe was around $70 billion and this number is expected to reach $141 billion by 2019. Many online small businesses are based on Software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications which contribute up to 59% of cloud implementations. It is imperative for cloud-based small businesses to implement multi-layered security solutions with the help of products like firewalls, anti-spam, anti-virus and other solutions technologies like disk encryption, security tokens etc. When considering any Antivirus solution, they should choose a reliable solution like Bitdefender which offers regular updates on the latest virus signatures.

The Council of Better Business Bureau has revealed that more than 17% of small business owners have been targets of cyberattacks. The fact is that online businesses hold their customer data including banking credentials, social security numbers and other sensitive data in the public cloud which makes them an easy target for hackers. The public cloud is not really secure as a private data centre which online small businesses might not be able to afford. Small businesses should also adhere to data security regulations and implement strict security policies. Non-compliance can make small businesses an easy target for hackers and spoil business reputation.

The number of cyber threats continues to increase at an exponential rate and small businesses should react fast to avoid becoming victims of such incidents.